Commutating means for dynamo-electric machines



Feb. 27, 1923.

F. T. HAGUE ET AL Filed Mar.

l4- WITNESSES:

6a! Vmm COMMUTATING MEANS FOR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES nun INVENTQRS f/ayl Tf/df ue 0/l/e BY A/ee d/ul m ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

uNiTEusTArEs PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYD T. HAGUE AND QLLIE NEEDHAI, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOBS TO -WESTINGHOU$E ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

comru'ra'rme MEANS. ron nmmaro-isznrcrnni uncnmns.

, Application filed March 9,

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, FmYn'T. HAGUE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and OLLIE NnriDHAM, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Commutating Means for Dynamo-Electric Machines, of which the following is a'specilication.

Our invention relates to dynamo-electric machines of the commutator type provided with commutating poles, and it has for its object to provide apparatus of the character specified with means whereby the harmful effects of abrupt changes in the exciting field strength upon the commutation may be minimized or entirely obviated.

In the accom anying drawing, Figs. 1 and are simplified diagrammatic views of dynamo-electric machines, together with certain auxiliary elements, embod 'ing preferred forms of our invention;and igs. 3 to 8, inclusive, are'diagrams in explanation of the tlllfllclllty to be overcome and of the means employed in the control thereof. 1

In a dynamo-electric machine of the commutator type provided withinterpoles, the armature coil or coils undergoing commutation are disposed in inductive relation to the exciting field poles, so that abrupt changes in the exciting-field flux induce transformer clectromotive forces therein which are liable to initiate sparking and flashovers. Thus,'in reversing a rolling mill drive, where the exciting field'of the generator is suddenly reversed in order to effect the reversal of the motor, the changes in the "exciting field strength, are extremely frequent and abrupt. By encircling both the exciting poles and the commutating poles by a commoncircuit and by disposing'devices in said circuit to suitably affect the phase of currents flowing therein, a control of the field strength under the interpole may be eflected,.so as to cause the production of rotational electromotive forces in theshort-circuited armaturecoils that shall be substantially equal and opposite to the transformer electromotive forces produced therein by alterations in the 1918. Serial lib/221,358.

poles shown at 10-10. An auxiliary winding 11 overlies the ordinary exciting windng 9 of the exciting pole 9 and is connected in series relation with an auxiliary winding 12 surrounding the interpole 10, which is also provided with of the winding 12 and the adjustment of the impedance device 13 are so arranged that the resultant flow of circulating currents in the auxiliary field winding 12 produces modification of the field under the pole 10, with resultant modification of the rotational electromotive force in the shortcircuited armature coils undergoing commutation and compensation for said disturbing transformer elect'romotive forces in the short-circuitedcoils.

For a more detailed understanding of the electromotive forces in the coils in question, attention is directed to the diagrams of Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive. If the armature be assumed to be at restand the exciting field strength he changed, the brush drop roduced by the local currents flowing in t ose coils spanned by the brushes will be as indicated in Fig. 3, being plotted for four points in the brush face and lying in a straight line 14-15. Assuming the effect of armature rotation as superposed upon the effect thus discussed, it will be, noted an. exciting winding 10. An fldJUStablG impedance device 13 may be this that the passage of each coil from under the brush. interrupts the tircuit of the local currents in that coil set up by said voltages and permits the establishment of a high selt-inductire voltage therein, in accordance with Lenzs Law, so that the plotted. voltzlgltlCli'OSS. the brush will he a broken line. as indicated at 1 1:, 16, in Fig. l, the eil'ect of said electroinotive force being to enhance the transformer electromotive force induced in this coil by the changing exciting field.

In like manner; each coil, when entering thelield, exhibits a voltagc-absorbing eiiect as it builds up its inductive held, and (it is opposed; to the transformer ct? feet just discussed, whereby the complete diagram of applied electromotive forces across the brush is indicated by a broken line ].l----1T-1S.15 in Fig.

The effect oi the drops due to load currentin a correctly adjusted machine under steady-load conditions are as plotted in F (5, being 'a straight line 19-2O of opposite slope from 'the eleetromotive lorce line 14-.-l5 of Fig. 3. The resultantbrush drop produced by the combination of Figs. 5 and 6 is as shown in Fig. T for a decreasing main field and in Fig. 8 for an increasing main field. and. the corrective effect of the coil 12 in Fig. 1 should be such as to provide proper compensation therefor. T he function of the coil. 12 to set up a flux of such character that the armature coilswill generate. by rotation, an equal and opposite electroinotire force to that induced. by the change of. field lluX, so that no resultantvoltagcs to set up local currents will he left in the coils undergoing connnutation.

An even more effective control of compensation may be efi'ectcdfby the apparatus shown in Fig. 2'. :li dynamo-electric ma chine has the energizing winding of its exciting pole 9 connected to a reversing rheostat 21., whereby the exciting field may be ad justed or reversed for the voltage control. of a. generator or for the speed control. of a motor. nu auxiliary transtormcr '22 is provided having primary Winding in series circuit with the exciting winding 9 of the machine and liaviiiig a secondary winding :2 in circuit with the auxiliary winding 12 of the interpole it) through an adjustable resistor 13 and an adjustable reacte-rQ-5. The core of the trans'lm'iner may be provided with an air gap :26 in order to prevent sat nration.

The operation of the system ust described is similar to that previously set.- forth. Upon a change in the exciting field strength, brought about by the adjustment ot the resistor 21.. the encrgization of the winding 23 modified. whereupon a change in elcctro motive fOICG Oii the winding 2% is producech changing the excitation of the auxiliary winding 12, the currents supplied to said winding being suitably modified by the rc actor 25 to produce the desired rotational electromotive forces in the short-eircuited armature coils.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that. by alteration of the relative numturns in the windings 11. and 12, any Jed corrective ei'l'ect may he obtained. The fivinding 12 is most advantageously placed at the tip ot the eonnnutatin'g pole where its ei'i'ect upon the commutating field is most pronounced. The coils 11 may well encircle an y portion of the exciting field-flux path. lhus they may be placed to encircle the frame, rather than an exciting pole-piece. The windings 11 and 12 should he so proportioned. that the winding" '12 is unable to feed back through the coil. 11 uponsiuflden load-changes or, in other words, the winding 12 should not act as a damper with respect to the ordinary series excited commutating l'icld flux.

We have described our arrangement par ,ticularly in combination with rolling-mill motors but it is susceptible of application in many other fields oi service in railivagr motors and hoisting machines, wherein vreversal of elcetroinotive force or oi? direction of rotation or wherein transition from m0 tor to generator operation is encountered.

While we hate shown our invention in two of its preferred forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat it is susceptible of still further uiodil'ications and changes without departing from the spirit thereof and we desire, therefore, that only such lii'nit'ationssliall he placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in theappendcd claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A. dynamo-electric machine comprising a frame. exciting and commutatmg poles carried thereby, exciting and coimnutating windings tor the respective poles, an auxiliary winding for the coinn'niitating pole, and an auxiliary transformer means connected in series with the exciting winding oi. said exciting pole and with the auxiliary winding of said comniutating pole.

2. A. dynamo-electric machine comprising a. trance. exciting and tonnnutating poles carried thereby. exciting and coumnit-ating windings for the res iective poles, an auxiliary winding "for the comn'iutating pole. an auxiliar transformer having the primary and the secondary windings thereof respectivelyconnected in series with the exciting winding ol: said exciting pole and with the auxiliary winding ()fliStl-id conrniutating pole. and means for simultaneously controlling the excitation of said exciting and said flllXlllfllly windings.

3. A dynamo electric machine comprising a frame, exciting and comnnitating poles means for a justing the energization ofthe primary winding of said transformer and 10 means for regulatin the flow of current delivered to said auxiliary winding by the secondary winding of said transformer.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 28th day of Feb, 15

FLOYD T. HAGUE. OLLIE NEEDHAM. 

